Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Charlie Countryman - I was really excited about this movie. It received a lot of early festival buzz and I am one of the few who think Shia LaBeouf is a really good actor (I think most people are just too focused on the fact that he's a dick in real life to give him credit for his acting skills). Plus, I love Evan Rachel Wood. A few weeks have gone by since I watched it, and I still can't decide if I like the movie or not. I like the idea of it, but it felt really cluttered and unfocused. I don't necessarily believe in "love at first sight", but I absolutely believe that sometimes you just "know" that someone is meant to be in your life. I can fully connect with him embracing his intuition and trying to grasp on to someone he knows is important. I love the line "I'd die for love...pretty fuckin' cool way to go". Shia is excellent, but Evan Rachel Wood is surprisingly bad (it's 100% because of the accent; way too distracting to focus on anything else). I also didn't like the ending at all - *spoiler*- it's a happy ending, which is totally unnecessary for this type of movie.

2. Delivery Man - This is kind of a cute movie, but the problem is that I don't think the people watching it are expecting a "cute" movie. Fans of Vince Vaughn (like me) would probably expect something funnier, raunchier and less sentimental; yet it has one too many masturbation jokes to make it a family movie. So who exactly is this movie for? I'm still not sure. It's weird to think about Vince Vaughn having adult children - that makes me feel really old. On the plus side: Chris Pratt is hilarious. I can't wait for him to be a big star (within a few months time).

3. That Awkward Moment - I like Miles Teller. I like Michael B. Jordan. I like Zac Efron. I do not like this movie. It's not awful, but it's basically a chick flick disguised as something trying to make fun of chick flicks. It's 3 young guys endlessly talking about relationships. I don't know who would enjoy watching that; but it's certainly not me. It's bad enough watching women talk about relationships, but watching 3 emotionally stunted males talk is pretty painful. I think it was supposed to be subversive by revealing the "male perspective", but the biggest revelation that I had while watching this movie is: That's Imogen Poots??!! I've heard the name so many times, but I never knew who she was. I don't think I like her. I know I didn't like her character (you know, she's the "cool" girl because she plays video games). The only thing that works well is the chemistry between the 3 characters. I believe that the 3 of them are friends, but I don't believe that 3 males would ever spend this much time talking about their feelings.

4. Pompeii - This is a perfect, cheesy, guilty-pleasure kind of movie. It's not good at all; but somehow I was fully entertained with my eyes glued to the screen. I am super fascinated with the history of Pompeii (and, in turn, super fascinated by volcanoes). When I went to Italy, it was the only place on my "must see" list and visiting the city is probably in my top 20 life highlights. It's absolutely stunning. I'm surprised that it took this long for a big-budget movie around the famous volcano that demolished an entire city; but I guess it's a hard story to sell (at least with something like the Titanic, some people survived). The movie is totally unrealistic and over-the-top, which is to be expected. I actually thought Kit Harington did a decent job (critics will tell you otherwise), everyone else is terrible (oh Kiefer...). I was bothered that everyone had a different accent (oh Kiefer...), I get that they weren't exactly going for realism (I would die of joy if the movie were in Latin), but at least aim for consistency.

5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - I wasn't overly enthused about seeing this movie. I never read the book and the trailer was a bit dull, in my opinion. I really, really like the story though. I think everyone can relate to the plot, in some way. It's pretty normal to "dream" about having another, more adventurous, life. While "life" is sure to get in the way of this dream, most people don't live this this life because of financial reasons (sad but true). As much as I like the story, I don't think the movie did it justice, so I've added the book to my "to read" list. I still enjoyed the movie, but it felt a bit dull (exactly like the trailer) for such a fantastical adventure. Visually, it's pretty stunning - some gorgeous shots throughout. I also really liked the ending (one of the rare type of movies in which a happy ending is absolutely necessary). Ben Stiller is good; but Kristen Wiig is exceptional. She is amazing at seeming natural in the characters that she plays. It's so weird to think about how much I hated her on SNL and that now she is among my favorite actresses.